


jesus loves you (this i know)

by venomondenim



Series: venom's parkner cinematic universe [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man 3 (2013), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Peter Parker, Boys In Love, Christmas, Christmas in New York, Daddy Issues, Denial of Feelings, Gay Harley Keener, Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Precious Peter Parker, Religious Conflict, Religious Guilt, Sexuality Crisis, Underage Drinking, depictions of violence, harley gets into a fist fight, harley is a good catholic boy, harley struggles with his faith and sexuality, mentions of past-child abuse, the f slur is used
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venomondenim/pseuds/venomondenim
Summary: Harley slowly but surely started resenting God.He couldn’t resent him fully though, because God had made Peter, and Peter was Harley’s favorite creation.(Or, Harley spends his first Christmas in New York and ends up falling for Peter Parker)
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Series: venom's parkner cinematic universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2053995
Comments: 12
Kudos: 184





	jesus loves you (this i know)

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it seems like 5k fics are my sweet spot. I have a bunch of other wips that I was working on but this fic was screaming at me to be finished. Shoutout to Parkner_Keenker for talking shop about Parkner with me, being so sweet, and getting the gears flowing so that I could spontaneously finish this. I promise to go more smutty and less angsty with the next one. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it, and if you do please leave a comment, they make my day!
> 
> song to accompany the fic: devil in me by halsey

Harley was 17 years-old and a senior in high school when he spent his first Christmas in New York. 

Tony had invited him up, like it was a totally normal thing in their relationship. Nevermind the fact that Harley had never been to New York. He had only been out of Tennessee once, when him, his Mom, and his sister had driven to New Orleans for a long weekend a couple of years ago. He was nervous, but also excited. He was glad to get out of Tennessee.

When he got off the plane Tony had sent a car to bring him to the tower. He couldn’t help but stare at it with wide eyes as he had climbed in. It felt like he was in a movie, especially when they got out onto the street and a handful of snowflakes started falling. 

__

Tony had greeted him with enthusiasm once he had gotten to the tower and made his way down to the lab. Tony seemed genuinely happy that he was there and the mood was infectious. He was helping Tony work out a kink with some of the nanites when Tony had mentioned an intern of his that Harley would get on with. Harley was a little suspicious. He couldn’t remember a time that Tony had cared about anyone as innocuous as an intern. 

Then he met Peter and he got it. 

__

Peter was everything out of Harley’s fantasies and worst nightmares. He was just as smart, if not smarter than Harley was, but wasn’t cocky about. He was funny, fiery, and absolutely heart-wrenchingly gorgeous. 

As soon as they were introduced Peter latched onto Harley almost immediately. Tony seemed smug about it, and Harley couldn’t figure out why, he was too busy keeping himself in constant check. In Tennessee there had been boys, there had been plenty of boys, but none were quite the temptation that Peter Parker was. 

__

Peter was always warm. He was like his own heater, and he never minded when Harley would slip his freezing fingers under his jacket as they walked down the street. Peter had started taking him on walks to show him around the city. He wanted to show him all the landmarks, but also was adamant about showing him the hallmarks of the “real New York”, which included a whole in the wall deli in Queens, and skatepark that wasn’t too far from the Tower. 

Harley got good at ignoring the way Peter would look at him whenever he skated. Harley got good at ignoring a lot of the looks Peter would give him. It was easier that way. 

__

Harley should have taken it for what it was. He should have recognized the feeling in the pit of his stomach he always got whenever Peter was around. How just his breath would cause goosebumps to raise, single-file all over Harley’s skin. 

He should have known that the thing that haunted him most as he laid in bed every night would follow him all the way to New York. Of course it would follow him as Peter smiled at him prettily and gave him shit without holding back. 

__

Eventually it broke. It always did. 

__

Harley’s Dad did a number on him from an early age. He remembered a time when things had been good, when him and his sister had been little, before he had started drinking. He had memories of his Dad taking them to the arcade, and driving them to school, and just acting like a normal Dad. It was harder to stomach the thought of his Dad when he remembered those memories, though. 

Then Harley had started growing up at the same time his Dad had started drinking. It was a gradual change, a low simmer until eventually it wasn’t. 

He couldn’t remember the first time that his Dad had hit him because his parents had never shied away from corporal punishment when he was younger. He did remember, however, the first time that his Dad had broken his nose. The ‘f’ word that Harley loathed had fallen from his lips right before Harley had felt the impact. He wasn’t sure if he would ever forget the blood, the bruise, and the hurt. 

After that his Dad got worse, and he always made sure to let Harley know exactly how he felt about him. He made sure that Harley would never forget just exactly who he was. He was a faggot. A freak. A disgusting piece of nothing.

__

Harley and Peter were walking down the street when he snapped. 

The funny thing is they hadn’t even been doing anything. Their shoulders hadn’t even been brushing like they normally did when they walked side by side. Harley had gotten used to slipping his hands inside Peter’s jacket and feeling him shiver. He hadn’t allowed himself to do that that day, even though his fingers were freezing and close to going numb. Occasionally when they were walking, if their hands swung next to each other Peter would wrap his pinky around Harley’s hand, but he would only ever do it for a second. 

Point is, they were practically a foot apart acting like good samaritans when some guy on the street behind them yelled out and called them a “bunch of faggots.” 

As soon as Harley heard the word he tensed, and stopped dead in his tracks. Peter stumbled to a halt next to him, and was confused until the guy spoke up again, yelling even louder this time, “You heard me! Faggots!”

Harley saw _red_.

He flipped around so fast he could feel Peter flinch from next to him. But he didn’t care. All he could see was the guy on the street calling them faggots as blind rage filled him. He lurched forward wildly, in search of the voice. It wasn’t hard to find as it came from the guy who had been shouting so hard he was practically spitting. 

The next thing Harley saw was red, literally. He pinned the guy down and punched him so hard his hand throbbed, but he kept punching, even after he saw red on the concrete because he wasn’t going to let it happen again. He wasn’t going to let him hurt him again. 

He didn’t even register the strong hands that yanked him back and off the guy. He knew distantly that it was Peter, and he was shouting something of his own, but the only thing Harley can hear was the blood rushing in his ears. He kicked at the person behind him, and when they hunch in surprise, he elbowed them, surviving purely on his reflexes.

He landed another nasty punch that was echoed by a sickening crunch before Peter was forcefully hauling Harley off the guy with a surprising amount of strength for such a small guy. He shoved Harley until he tugged him into a nearby alley and pressed him up against the wall. He didn’t even realize Peter had been saying his name until he looked at him, heart pounding. His hearing came back from the ringing it had been, and his eyes focused. His whole body was shaking. 

Peter turned his attention to Harley’s right hand. His knuckles were already a bright red, with splatters of blood on them. A section of skin over two of his knuckles had split open. Peter pressed his finger over it as gentle as possible, Harley winced, one part in embarrassment, the other in pain. He couldn’t make out the expression Peter was giving him, and he didn’t know if he wanted to. 

They didn’t talk for the rest of the walk back to the Tower.

__

Harley was quiet afterwards. He couldn’t help feeling numb, and withdrawn, caught in his head. He started actively avoiding Peter whenever he would come over to the Tower and tried to convince himself that it wasn’t because he was scared. 

__

Peter, in his defense, was about as stubborn as he was respectful. Harley didn’t think he would get away easily, and he was right. Peter gave him a few days of peace and time to sulk before he confronted him. 

He slipped into Harley’s room in the evening, he closed the door behind him before he leaned against it. His movements were all confident until that moment when he seemed unsure. He was so pretty that Harley wanted to light a match and press it to his own skin until he didn’t have those thoughts anymore. 

“How’s the Mustang going?” Peter asked, sounding casual. Tony had surprised him when he had gotten into the city with all the parts for an old Mustang that he was painstakingly building from scratch. He loved building things, and he loved cars almost as much. It had always been his dream to build an engine of his own, but had never gotten the chance. Of course Tony would pick up on that desire and deliver. 

Harley could only stare at him incredulously. There was no way he was going to get off that easy. Peter lost whatever momentum he had after the look Harley gave him. “Well it was worth a try.” He heard Peter say under his breath. 

Harley didn’t say anything. He was good at that. He had been mouthy when he was younger, but quickly learned what happened to mouthy little boys who couldn’t keep their mouths shut. 

“You don’t have to tell me about it.” Peter said suddenly. “You don’t have to tell me about anything. But I’m here if you…” he trailed off, swallowing loudly. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. Just-” he stopped, licking his lips, Harley could only watch. “I’m here, Harley.” 

He was so pretty Harley was losing his mind. He was sure of it. He had spent the past couple days locked in his room only coming out to eat and go to the lab, and then there was Peter, who sauntered in like he owned the place. He came in like he owned every part of Harley, and didn’t even have any idea. 

Peter stepped closer and Harley could feel his resolve slowly breaking, thinning and fraying until he threw himself forward, like a man possessed. He grabbed onto the back of Peter’s neck and kissed him. He kissed him like he was dying for it. 

Peter made a surprised noise against his lips and it was enough to hurl Harley back to reality. He flung himself back until he rammed up against his nightstand, the back of his thigh hit the knob on the drawer painfully. Harley pulled himself back like he’d been burned, and it was only when he hit the nightstand that he realized his hands were shaking and his heart was pounding so loudly he could feel each thump reverberate against his ears. 

“Harley-” Peter said, and reached out for him. But Harley couldn’t. He couldn’t. 

He ran into the bathroom and locked the door, allowing himself to slide down onto the tile floor. He heard Peter yelling for him but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. He sat in the bathroom, knees curled to his chest until he knew that Peter had left. 

__

Since Harley’s luck was spectacular, Tony decided it was a prime time to corner him too. He had spent the better part of the night crying on his bathroom floor like the loser he was. He had only come out of his room to get a sandwich so he didn’t starve to death. Tony must have been paying attention, or had FRIDAY alert him to when Harley had left his room (Harley was willing to bet it was the latter). 

He was suspicious as soon as he saw Tony in the kitchen, and would have hightailed it back to his room if Tony hadn't made eye contact immediately and gestured for him to come further into the kitchen. Harley pointedly ignored him as he pulled all of the ingredients he wanted for his sandwich out of the fridge. 

He was just about to scurry back to his room when Tony spoke up and said, “So, you gonna tell me why you beat the shit out of that guy on the street the other day?” 

Harley tensed, he clenched his jaw, then carefully relaxed it so that his expression was blank. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He settled on because there was no way Tony would let him get away with not answering at all. 

Tony sighed heavily, like Harley was being difficult and he was too old to deal with teenagers. Yeah, well, Harley didn’t want to deal with himself most of the time, so he understood the sentiment. 

“Pete told me what happened.” Tony said, and Harley kind of wanted to punch him in that moment. He sounded a little too knowing for Harley’s taste, and Harley didn’t exactly like what he was implying that he knew. 

“Did he tell you what that guy said?” Harley said, his voice hard. 

Tony just gave him a look that said ‘I’m not an idiot’, and sat down on one of the stools off to the side of the giant kitchen counter. He glanced at Harley contemplatively before he said, “Are you gonna cut the bullshit and give it to me straight?” 

As much as Harley wanted to fight, he felt it leave his bones. God, he was so tired. He was so sick of feeling miserable and keyed up. He felt trapped, and like the words he had been trying to keep down were going to get stuck in his throat and come shooting out one day without his control. Harley didn’t know how much longer he could keep going like he was. If he told anyone, it could probably be Tony, right? 

He watched his hands as he splayed them out in front of him, and flexed his fingers back and forth. His knuckles weren’t red anymore, but they were bruised, and his skin still tugged painfully in the two spots where it had split. What he was about to say he had never told anyone before. 

“My dad would...hit us sometimes” He cringed at the words, and tried not to feel like he was in a Lifetime movie when he said them. ‘Cause, poor him. His daddy beat him so of course he deserved nothing but pity. 

Tony looked like he was gonna say something, but remained silent. So Harley sneered despite himself, he had to get some of his dignity back, even if he was going to lose it with his next admission. “And he had a favorite word for me.”

Because Tony was Tony, and he was about the only one on the planet who understood daddy issues as much as Harley did, he skipped over the words that he knew Harley wouldn’t want to hear and jumped straight to: “You know it’s okay to like boys right?”

Harley didn’t flinch. He didn’t.

Maybe he did, because Tony's gaze narrowed. “Harley-“

“I’m good.” Harley cut him off, feeling nauseous. It was bad enough that Tony knew now. Oh God, everyone probably knew now. 

“It’s okay to be gay, Harley, if that’s how you want to identify.” Tony's voice was gentle, but Harley squeezed his eyes shut because it was too much. He couldn’t deal with those words, or with the tone that was too rational, too patient. 

Harley's palms were sweating. He shakily swiped them across his jeans. He couldn’t handle this. He was about to either have a panic attack, or cry. Each one seemed like the worst option in the world. 

“I’m gonna- go ... to my room,” he managed to say faintly, before his legs moved on their own. 

He darted through the open room so he could get to the elevator, and ignored Tony's call of his name as the doors shut, after an eternity. 

“My room, FRI” Harley said to the AI as he gulped a breath of air. It felt as if his head had been dunked under water, and he couldn’t breathe. 

His thoughts were scrambled and didn’t make much sense. A few gasps later, and he got his breathing under control. He went up to his room and tried to pretend that everything was fine when he was sure nothing would ever be fine again. 

He didn’t want to face anybody after what happened. He was sick to his stomach almost every hour because now people knew. They knew the sick part inside of him that he couldn’t fix. And he knew deep down it wasn’t really wrong. He knew that there was nothing wrong with being gay, especially not in New York. 

But even New York couldn’t change how he saw his father’s fists whenever he thought about kissing Peter. 

Whenever Peter gave him that smile that was so wide it made the corner of his eyes wrinkle up and Harley suddenly _wanted_ so bad that the pit of his stomach was aching with it. He wanted so bad. But then his father’s voice rang in his ears and it stopped. 

__

Harley never knew how he felt about God. He went to church every Sunday like all the other kids he grew up with. He learned the different bible verses, and rehearsed them with his Ma and sister until they were ingrained forever in his memory. He was baptized. He drank the wine, ate the bread, like he was supposed to. He did everything like he was supposed to. But he still couldn’t figure out why he had ended up the way he did. He was curious what God would make him the way he was and then hate him for it. Maybe everyone was wrong about God. Maybe God loved him. But also, what if they were right? 

Peter Parker didn’t believe in God. He was everything unholy, and Harley wanted him so bad he thought he would crumble from it. 

—

Peter cornered him in his room. He should have been expecting it. Especially after the first time. It seemed Peter wouldn’t let him get away with anything. He hadn’t known Peter for long, but he knew him well enough to know that he never left well enough alone. 

Harley had half the mind to not let him in. But he wasn’t dumb. He knew Peter had admin privileges and could override FRIDAY’s lock whenever he wanted, but he wouldn’t without Harley's permission because he was respectful. He also knew Peter was liable to camp out in the hallway all night if he had to. 

So Harley let him in. 

They both don’t say anything for a while, letting the tension thicken in the air. 

Finally Peter broke it with a sigh. “Are we ever going to talk about it?” 

For a genius, Harley really liked to play dumb, if he could. “Talk about what?”

Peter kicked his foot out and let out a hollow laugh. “Gee I don’t know...” he turned back to Harley, his eyes harder than they had been. “How about the fact that you kissed me and then couldn’t even look at me after.” Harley couldn’t look at him. He couldn't. He kept his back turned away from him. “You still won’t look at me.”

“What do you want me to say?”

Peter deflated then, almost instantly. Harley noticed him taking in a breath before he said, “You can have me, you know?” 

That time Harley looked at him. He couldn’t help himself. 

His voice sounded shakier when he continued. “I see you watching me sometimes, and you get this look like- like I'm something you...can’t have. Like you shouldn’t be able to look at me. But I _want_ you to. I want you to look at me, to touch me. You can have me, Harls. If you want me.” 

Everything was going haywire in Harley's brain. Peter wanted him to touch him, wanted him. It couldn’t be that simple. Things were never that simple for Harley. 

But then Peter was stepping closer, and he didn’t look upset anymore, he just looked determined. Harley couldn’t breathe. 

“You can have me.” Peter whispered again, softer this time and full of promise that Harley didn’t deserve. 

It wasn’t even a thought anymore. It was more of bending to the will of a craving, and Harley was a man who had been dying from thirst. 

Suddenly he grabbed at Peter and slammed their lips together. It was messy, and awkward, and at first their teeth clacked together painfully as Harley's heart seized in his chest for one terrifying moment. But then Peter opened his mouth, like he was giving his permission for Harley to crawl inside. He titled his head and almost instantly the angle was better. He felt Peter lick against his lips, and had to fight the urge for his toes to curl. 

Peter panted against his mouth when he pulled back far enough so that they’d have room to breathe. “You’re not going to lock yourself in the bathroom this time are you?” 

Harley was a little shell-shocked, so he used that as an excuse for just shaking his head in response. Peter smiled at him, a small secret thing. “Good,” He said quietly. “‘Cause I want to keep kissing you.” 

And he did. He kissed him until both of their lips were swollen and Harley’s hair was mussed up with no hope of remission. Peter’s overgrown curls didn’t hold up much better, and his cheeks were pleasantly pink. They had kissed for long enough that Harley wasn’t sure how much time had passed, it felt like it could be anywhere from a couple minutes to a couple of hours. He knew he was fucked though, because now that he’d gotten a taste of Peter’s mouth he knew he’d never be able to get enough. 

__

Things were better after that. 

Harley still didn’t want anyone to know, and that was fine with Peter for the time being. Peter held his shaking hand under the table where nobody could see, and at night they would sneak off to Harley’s room and kiss until he couldn’t think of anything other than Peter. How warm his skin was, how good he felt whenever he shuddered at something Harley did. He kissed him until he got to swallow up the small whimpers Peter let out against his mouth, the ones that drove him absolutely insane. 

__

He never stopped thinking about God though. When Peter leaves and he was left in his room all alone he remembered the Bible verses he was taught, and imagined the hard pews creaking as he confessed his deepest darkest sins. 

He didn’t dream much, but whenever he did it was all fire, and amber sparks floating through the air. He never feared hell when Peter was kissing him, but he did fear it whenever he was alone. They weren’t even nightmares. Nightmares were scary, and they had you waking up in a cold sweat. These dreams were almost peaceful, until he woke up and wanted to choke on the dread that creeped its way up his throat and clogged his nose until his chest burned because he couldn’t breathe. 

He wished on some nights that he was old enough to drink. Maybe if he got drunk he could finally fall asleep. Then he thought of his Dad, and how he was when he was drunk. He would dig his fingernails into his palm until the urge to drink went away. He would rather burn in the hell of his mind for eternity than turn out like his Dad. 

__

Peter was the only drop of sunshine in Harley’s miserable life. 

It was crazy to think that he had been planning to go back to Tennessee after Christmas. But then Peter had clawed his way inside of Harley, and it seemed he wasn’t going to escape any time soon. Tony refused to let him go after the ‘street brawl’ incident, as it had been dubbed, and was especially more dubious after learning about Harley’s previous abuse. Harley was pissed at first, because who was Tony to swoop in and play hero now? Now, when it was years too late and Harley was already fucked up. 

But then Tony had got him transferred to a fancy STEM school right in the city that would appeal to all his interests. He thought of Peter, and only toyed with the idea of getting to keep him when he was alone in his bed at night, palms bloody, trying desperately not to let the feeling of wrongness take over him. He held onto Peter like a lifeline. He hated that being with Peter was the root of what made him feel wrong, because nothing in his entire life had ever felt so right.

__

Harley slowly but surely started resenting God. 

He resented a God who would make him wrong and then chastise him for it. But most of all, he hated God because he didn’t feel wrong at all, not really. He was exactly how he’d been made. God made everything, the good and the bad things, so which were supposed to be holy? Harley didn’t have answers. He still prayed even though he was sure that God wasn’t listening. 

He couldn’t resent him fully though, because God had made Peter, and Peter was Harley’s favorite creation.

__

Peter kissed Harley sometimes like he couldn’t get enough. Like he was starving for it. He pinned Harley to the bed underneath him and kissed him until Harley was sure his lungs were going to give out. Sometimes they would bite marks into each other's necks, careful not to do it anywhere anyone could see. It was so good that Harley wanted to rock his hips into him, but he never could. They hadn’t gotten that far yet and Harley wasn’t sure he was ready for that step. It felt like a point of no return.

Peter was patient though, he never pressed. He never pushed for something that Harley hadn’t given him first. It was maddening. Was this how people in love felt? How did anyone ever function?

The thought was enough to startle him back in horror. It was enough for Peter to pull back and gaze at him questioningly. He was so gorgeous, his face barely illuminated by the glow of Harley’s alarm clock and nothing else in the dark room. He looked like everything Harley had ever dreamed of, and Harley realized everything he’d been holding back.

It didn’t matter if he was gay, or whatever label he decided. What mattered was that he was in love with Peter Parker.

And he had no idea what to do with that. So he just kept kissing him, and prayed that Peter couldn’t feel him crumbling beneath him. 

__

That night Harley dreamed of the fire again. This time it wasn’t nameless shapes, or flames flickering over walls, they were surrounding someone. When Harley fought his way inside of the flame he saw them consuming Peter, his skin glowing orange from the embers. He reached out towards Harley, and said, “You can have me.” It was a perfect mirroring of his words from that night in Harley’s bedroom, but his voice was warped and barely sounded human. When Harley went to reach for him he watched his hand, arm, then slowly, the rest of his body turned to ash, blowing away with the flicker of the flames. 

That night Harley woke up in his room, drenched in sweat, and his heart pounded. He could still smell the smoke from his dream and wanted to go into his en suite bathroom and puke until he could forget it. 

__

Harley stopped believing in God on a Wednesday. 

__

When Peter had snuck into Harley’s room that weekend brandishing the bottle of Gin he’d bribed Ned’s older sister into getting him, he looked so happy, so proud of himself that Harley didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was afraid to drink. Harley wasn’t really afraid to drink anyway, he was afraid of turning into his Father if he liked it too much. 

As soon as he took his first sip of the Gin he nearly spat it out all over the carpet and grimaced. Forming an addiction might not be a concern after all. Peter had just laughed at him, his cheeks were already flushed as he had pre-gamed before he had climbed in through Harley’s window. 

“You gotta chase it, baby.” Peter had said as Harley tried not to react to the pet name that made his skin burn every time Peter used it. He had just started saying it, and Harley was never going to tell him to stop. 

Peter made grabby hands at the can of Coke on Harley’s nightstand until Harley took the hint and grabbed it. Peter instructed him to take a swig of it immediately after the Gin. It was a little better, but Harley still had to fight the urge to gag at the acidic, almost too thick texture of the alcohol. 

They got spectacularly drunk until Peter was giggling into his shoulder and asking him all the questions that they had been pointedly refusing to talk about. He asked about Harley’s biggest fears, his thoughts on life and death, and how they all fit into the universe. Harley answered as honestly as he could, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in his veins. He felt far away and it was easier to answer. 

Harley thought about God. Something he always seemed to do. He was frustrated. It wasn’t even that he had stopped believing in God, because he still believed he existed, he just didn’t want to believe _in_ a God who would be that cruel. A God who would build Harley to love Peter Parker only to be told he couldn’t have him. He thought of puzzle pieces, and how there had to be some that would never fit. He thought about his first kiss. It had been with Josh Patterson behind the baseball dugout after everyone had cleared out when practice was over. They had been waiting on their Moms to pick them up when it had happened. It had only lasted a second before Josh reared back and punched him, hard enough that his lip bled sluggishly afterwards. He had told his Mom that he had gotten hit in the face with a foul ball when she picked him up. His hands shook the whole way home as he wondered what was wrong with him. 

It was all of that in mind when he croaked out. “Do you think I’m broken?” 

His head was swimming, but Peter just looked at him like he was horrified over something. Then it changed quickly to something sad. He was about to say forget it. He couldn’t even remember what he asked but he wanted to take back whatever it was that made Peter look like that. 

“You’re not broken.” Peter said, his words were urgent. Harley let them rattle around in his brain as he took them in. “You’re not broken.” Peter said again, firmly. 

Peter was staring at him so intensely it felt like something in his chest had cracked and came loose. “God, you’re not broken, Harley.” Then he leaned forward like he couldn’t help himself. “You’re beautiful.” Then he was kissing him. He was kissing him in the way that Harley loved, the way where he was trying to devour him whole, and seemed like he would never be sated. 

Peter groaned into Harley’s mouth as Harley kissed him back. “You’re so beautiful.” He said again, and Harley almost believed him. Harley kissed him until he didn’t feel as empty anymore. Peter’s lips were way better than the Gin anyway.

__

Harley didn’t know what the future would bring. He was a mess, and still figuring himself out. But it was all a little easier with Peter by his side, for however long he would be there. 

Harley had come for Christmas in New York, but had stayed for a boy. 

**Author's Note:**

> While you're down here, don't forget to leave a comment, or kudos. Thank you so much for reading. You can find me on twitter, or tumblr @venomondenim <3


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